First Friendly Face
by tardisseeker
Summary: One week on to the biggest case the small town of Broadchurch has ever seen, DI Alec Hardy is under alot of stress and is running out of evidence. A young girl who reminds him of his daughter comes into his life unexpectedly. Alec learns that maybe he does need a hand to hold.
1. Chapter 1

In a small town people always assume they know everything about everyone. They know all the people that run the shops, they know their postman and the one who makes their bread. The one they get their papers from every morning and the one who runs the local traders. They keep up to date on everything in their lives even if they don't fancy them.

The thing is they don't know everything. People have things they tend to keep to themselves. Things they regret or are ashamed of. Sometimes they don't even tell partners or other family, it's that bad.

/~~~/

One week into the biggest case the small town of Broadchurch had ever seen Detective Inspector Alec Hardy sat at his desk staring at more files of that morning's reports. Eight pages full of updates on the death of Danny Latimer, an eleven year old local boy.

Alec took a deep breath as he finished the last of the pages. He closed the booklet and leaned back in his chair. All sorts of thoughts ran through his head. Where was Mark Latimer on the night of Danny's death? Why had he lied to his partner, Beth? How had he gotten the keys to the hut if he didn't get them from Susan Wright?

"I'm going in now. You coming?" Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller asked Alec. He leaned back up in his chair.

"You seem tired. You don't have to come if you don't want to." She continued.

"I'm actually going to have a chat with Jack Marshall now. See if he'll give us anything else." Alec replied. He got out of his seat and walked over to grab his coat.

"Ok," She mumbled as she backed up to take some papers from a co-worker. "Here are some more samples from the boat. DNA sample matching Danny's and a hair strand that was found this morning." She handed him the papers.

"Great. See if the hair strand matches Marks. If not just put it back in the files." Alec handed the hair sample back to Ellie. "I'll check it out later." He said as he pulled on his coat.

"Ok, good luck." Ellie nodded to him as he walked out adjusting his coat.

Alec made his way out of the office and onto Broadchurch's main road. People passed him with weary looks. He tried to ignore them as best as he could.

"How much longer until you find out who killed him?" Some person asked him. Alec looked over his shoulder to see a young man standing with his son. Alec took a deep breath and sighed as he turned back without replying. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the man look at his son with concern etched upon his face. Alec remembered the times he used to spend with his daughter.

"Excuse me, sir?" Alec heard a voice ask him. He now had anger building up inside of him.

"What is it now?" He yelled as he turned to face the voice.

It was a young girl, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had shoulder length brown hair and big brown eyes that were etched with fear.

Alec looked at the child and released the tension from his shoulders.

"Sorry to bother you sir but are you Detective Inspector Alec Hardy?" She asked again. He nodded to her.

The girl reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a phone. "I found this on the road the morning." She told him as she reached out her arm to hand it to him.

"It has a return name and address..." She trailed off.

"Yes and who is it too?" Alec asked her and he took a step towards the phone in her hands.

The girl bit her lip and stretched her fist into a ball as if holding in tears.

"Danny Latimer." She said as she looked up at him.

Alec looked at her in disbelief. He walked up to her and she released her firm grip on the phone. He took it from her and reached into his pocket to grab a clear plastic bag.

"Where did you get this again?" He asked her. She watched as he placed it in the bag.

"I found it outside that corner store near the beach." She replied gaining a bit of confidence now. Alec nodded and wrote on the plastic bag. He then placed it in his pocket.

The whole time he had spent in Broadchurch he had never noticed the young girl.

"You from around here?" He asked her. Alec noticed the girls eyes widen.

"Um... I have a little sort of hut at the end of this road." She told him. "Just down there." She pointed down the road. Alec looked towards where she was pointing.

"Alone?" He asked as he turned back towards her.

She hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah." She mumbled. She lowered her head to the ground as if she was ashamed. Alec looked at the top of her head. She had the same hair color as his daughter.

"Come with me." He told her as he took a big breath. Her head shot up.

"What?" She asked him.

"Come on." He nodded as he turned to walk down the road.

The girl looked behind her and then chose to follow him.


	2. Chapter 2

Alec and the young girl walked down the main street in Broadchurch.

The young girl wondered if she was in trouble for bringing in evidence that she thought they needed. She didn't want to be in trouble. She had too much on her mind at the moment.

Alec didn't know who this girl was or anything about her but she was alone and he knew how that felt. He didn't want her to feel like that.

"Where are we going?" The girl asked. Alec turned to her as he continued to walk.

"Traders." He replied. He turned back to look where he was walking.

The girl looked dumbfounded at him.

"Why are we going to the traders?" She asked him. She tripped on her foot as she said it.

"To get you a room. Why else?" He didn't look at her this time.

"What's your name anyway?" He asked her.

The girl paused for a moment.

"Jenny." She replied.

"Jenny... Ok." He mumbled to himself.

They turned to the Traders front door and Alec held it open for her.

"Thanks." Jenny thanked him quietly. Alec nodded in return.

They walked in and looked around. It was sort of Victorian, she liked it. Alec walked by her to an archway into the pub. He turned to her before her walked in.

"Stay here. Look at the... brochures." He told her. Jenny nodded.

Alec walked into the pub and over to Becca Fisher, the girl who ran the Traders.

"Hey, bad day at work?" She asked him cheerfully. Alec sat down in one of the chairs.

"A water please." He told her. She nodded and went to work behind the counter.

Alec rubbed his eyes in frustration. He knew he was going to have to pay for this room but honestly he didn't have the money for it.

"Here. Have it on the house." She handed him the water and smiled.

He took a sip and then put it down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pills. He popped one out and then threw it in his mouth. He took a swish of water and swallowed.

"You alright?" Becca asked him.

He put his glass down.

"How much will another room cost me?" He asked her. Becca looked at his quizzically. She put her hands on her hips.

"Why would you want another room?" She asked him.

Alec ran a hand through his hair.

"A girl... Jenny... came and brought me Danny's phone. She found it on the street. She lives alone in a small hut. She needs a room." He said as if he was proving a point.

"Oh... How old is she?" Becca asked him.

"Twelve or thirteen." He replied as he took another drink.

"Well the cheapest I can go is about eight dollars a night. I doubt the Police will cover it." She told him.

"I know, I'll pay." He said.

He then stood up and walked out of the pub and into the entrance. Jenny was over sitting on the stairs reading a brochure.

"Come on." He motioned to her as he walked to the door.

Jenny quickly put down the brochure and jumped up to follow. They walked around to the side of the building. There were lines of rooms down the side. Alec went to the very last one and opened the door. Jenny noticed he had trouble with the door. His hand was shaking a bit.

"You ok?" Jenny asked him.

He didn't look at her but simply replied "Fine."

He finally opened the door and stepped back for Jenny to enter. She walked in and looked around. She put down her purse on the bed.

"Thanks." She turned to look at Alec. He took one look at her and then looked down at the floor.

"Yeah. I'm going back to work and I want you to go down to your hut and get your things." He said. Jenny nodded.

"Why are you doing all this?" She asked him. Alec didn't listen; he turned and walked out of the door without saying good bye.

/~~~/

"That was a long time. Why did it take so long?" Ellie asked Alec back in the office. Alec was in the kitchen making himself some toast. He pushed the lever down and leaned on the counter.

"I didn't... meet Jack Marshall." He sighed. Ellie gave him a look.

"Why? What was more important than that?" She asked him loudly.

"I got Danny's phone." Alec said as he pulled the phone out of his pocket. Ellie looked down at it in shock.

"Where did you get that?" She asked him.

"A girl came up to me when I was on my way to see Jack Marshall. She gave it to me." He replied while he put the phone back in his jacket pocket.

"Ok but why didn't you make it to Jack?" She continued. Alec turned as his toast popped up.

"She lives alone in a hut so I got her a room." He said.

"You do know that we don't cover that right?" She asked him. Alec continued to butter his toast.

"Yeah." He mumbled. He took a bit from his slice of toast.

"Did she tell you anything? Susan Wright?" He asked Ellie. She shook her head at the change of the subject.

"No, nothing. She's not making this easy. She just wants her bloody dog." She told him.

"Find the dog. That's a priority. Get it she'll talk, I'm sure of it." He said as he finished off his toast. He placed the plate into the sink and started towards the door. Ellie followed.

"I want the dog found by the time I get back." He said as he went to the door.

"Where are you going now?" Ellie asked him. Alec turned to look at her.

"Find the dog." He said as he left the building. Ellie was left staring at the closed door.

/~~~/

Jenny came back to the traders after the thirty minutes it took for her to head down the street and explain to her friend that she couldn't stay with him. It had been tough for her, leaving him. She didn't know who Alec was and especially why he was doing this for her.

She put her bags down on the floor and looked around. It was quiet and clean, something she wasn't used to.

She felt her phone buzz and she reached into her pocket to stop it. She pulled it out and looked at the screen. _Meet me tonight at the harbour_ _cliff. Good luck with this._ She read it over three times. She broke into a smile.

"Maybe this isn't so bad." She said to herself. She put her phone back in her jacket and bent down to open her bag. She pulled out a notebook that was covered in pictures. There were pictures of her and her friend, her cousin, her old school, one of the planets and one of her parents. She paused for a moment and brushed her fingers over the one of her parents. She wondered if they thought of her even though to them she was never gone.

She stood up and brought her notebook to the nightstand. She placed it on the wooden table.

There then was a bang on the door. Alec walked in. He nodded to her.

"Hi." She said to him. Alec looked around the room.

"Settling in?" He said without making eye contact with Jenny.

"I guess so." She replied.

"Come on." Alec said as he turned to the door. Jenny lifted up her arms.

"Where to know?" She asked. Alec walked outside.

"Just come!" He yelled. Jenny grabbed her coat off the bed and ran outside.

/~~~/

"Did you know Danny at all?" Alec asked Jenny. They sat across from each other back in the pub. Becca was out cleaning rooms so they had the place to themselves.

"Yeah. I had the same paper route as him. He did weekdays and I did weekends." She told him as she brushed a piece of hair from her face.


	3. Chapter 3

"Really? I thought he did it every day." Alec said to her. Jenny shook her head.

"Nope, I always did it on the weekend. We would meet up on some Fridays and talk about how we could make the route quicker." She replied.

"Ok, could Jack Marshall back this up for you?" He asked her. Jenny could feel her knee starting to shake.

"He should be able to, yeah." She replied to Alec but never met his eye.

"Where are your parents? Why do you live alone?" He asked Jenny.

"They died, both of them. Both of a heart problem." She replied now meeting his eye. Alec wondered if she knew about his heart or if this was just a coincidence.

"When did they die?" He asked while he tapped his pen on the table.

"Six months ago." Jenny answered. She was becoming nervous. What if he asked her about the hut? What if he wanted to see it?

"How do you get enough money to buy food and clothing if you don't have parents?" Alec asked her. It was a fair enough question.

"I work on the paper route on the weekends and I bag groceries on the weekdays. It makes me just enough."

"Do you go to school?" Jenny leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling.

"No, I haven't gone to school in eight months." She replied. Alec could hear the shame in her voice.

"How long have you been in Broadchurch? Your whole life?" He asked.

"No, I traveled here after my parents died. For a fresh start." She said. Alec began to push back his chair.

"Ok, that's all I need." He said as he stood up fully. Jenny jumped up.

"Why did you need to ask me those questions?" She asked. Alec paused for a moment.

"I just needed to back up the evidence with answers. That's all." He turned around to head out the door.

"I'll need you to come by the station tonight. I need a DNA sample." Jenny followed him.

"Why do you need that?" She asked him puzzled.

"It's all procedure." He said as he walked away.

"Fine." Jenny mumbled as she watched Alec walk across the road and back to the station.

/~~~/

"How's it going?" A man asked Jenny. They were down by the beach sitting on a rock.

"He keeps asking me questions. I keep telling him lies." Jenny replied to him. He was a tall thin man with floppy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was always kind to Jenny and protected her but this time she was on her own. He couldn't help her.

"You know I can't help you." He told her sternly. Jenny laid back on the flat rock.

"I know. I just feel horrible lying. The questions bug me. What if he figures it out?" Jenny started to yell. She covered her eyes as a tear rolled down her face.

"It's just traveling. We can leave when we want to. We could go now if you want." He asked her. He lay down next to her. Jenny turned to face him. Tears came freely now.

"I can't go yet. He wants to take a DNA sample." She said. The man took a deep breath.

"Then we stay. But not too long ok. Tell him that you can't keep doing this." He told her gently. He reached over and brushed a strand of her hair from her eyes.

"Ok, I will." She replied with a slight smile.

/~~~/

Jenny walked to the police station at five o'clock. Everyone else was having dinner but her and maybe Alec. She wore her jacket over her shoulders to protect her from the high winds that were now coming off the shore.

When she reached the police station she walked in the front door. She hadn't noticed Alec up above on the porch watching as she entered.

She went up the stairs after she checked in with security. The hallway was small and it made her feel small inside. When she came to the top of the staircase there was a long hallway. She made her way down it to a door that said 'Main'. She carefully pushed open the door. She entered a big room with lots of desks and people. Some of them stopped to look at her as she made her way through the office.

She finally came across an office door that said 'Alec Hardy'. She carefully knocked on it afraid that she was going to disturb him.

"Come in." She heard him say. She pushed open the door to see Alec sitting at his desk with his glasses on. There was a chair over in the corner but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to sit so she just stood there in front of the door.

"You know you can sit down." Alec nodded to the chair in the corner. Jenny slowly nodded back and went over to sit in it.

"You alright?" He asked Jenny. She was sitting very straight and posed in the chair.

"Yes, why?" She replied.

"Well... you...seem a little stiff." He told her. Jenny noticed and relaxed a bit. She sank into the chair.

"Ok. We are going to take a sample in a few minutes so you can just sit and wait." He told her. He picked up his pen and began to write.

Jenny sat there and thought. Did Alec think she was a suspect? Not in a billion years would she kill him! She barely knew him. She had never actually talked to him.

"Ready." Someone called from outside the door. Alec's head shot up and he got out of his chair. He walked out the door and Jenny guessed she was supposed to follow. They walked down the hall again and into another room. It was a bit bigger then Alec's office but all that was in it was a desk and two chairs.

"Have a seat." Alec told her as he went over to the desk. Jenny went over to the chair and sat down. She saw Alec pick up a pipette.

"Did you eat or drink anything in the last hour?" He asked her.

"No." She replied. She could feel herself becoming stiff again. Alec pulled the other chair closer to her and sat down.

"Open." He mumbled. Jenny opened her mouth and Alec placed the pipette in and took the sample.

"I just don't get you. Why all alone?" He asked her. She couldn't reply with the pipette in her mouth. She just stared at him. Finally when he was done he got out of his chair and put the pipette in a bag with the sample. Jenny's mouth felt dry. She licked her lips a couple times.

"There's no one else." She said as a reply to the question he had asked a few seconds ago. Alec bent down and wrote on the label.

"What about an orphanage?" He asked. He stood up and crossed his arms.

"I'd rather be alone. I don't want a new family. I would want my own." Jenny said sternly to him.

"Does anyone try to help you here? No one notices?" He asked.

"No one cares." She replied. Alec stood there in deep thought for a few moments.

"Tomorrow around midday you and I are going to the Latimers. You'll tell them that you found Danny's phone. Its better they find out from us and not the papers." Alec said as he uncrossed his arms. Jenny's arms shot up.

"What?! I can't stay!" She yelled. Alec turned to her.

"Why? Don't you live here? You have all the time in the world." Alec asked her. Jenny lowered her arms as she realized what she had said.

"Yeah..." She mumbled as he walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

Jenny lay in her bed looking up at the ceiling. So much had happened and she didn't know what to do. Alec had made her give a DNA sample which she was a bit scared of when he came up to her with the pipette. Now he was making her go see the Latimer's, a family that she had nothing to do with.

Jenny sat up in bed when she heard a knock at the door. He friend then opened the door. Jenny had given him an extra key.

"Hey." Jenny acknowledged him. He nodded as he closed the door behind him.

"Hey." He said with a big grin. Jenny grinned back. He made his way over to the bed. He sat on the edge and looked at her.

"So, we leaving in the morning?" He asked her. Jenny looked down at the bed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"No." She said while letting her breath fade. Her friend looked at her with deep sadness.

"Why can't we leave? We could be going north in the morning." He said.

"I have to meet with the Latimer's. That's the family of the dead boy." Jenny replied.

"Alec just wants me to tell them I found the phone. We should be able to leave tomorrow afternoon. If that works?" Jenny asked him.

"Of course. Anytime works." He said to her.

"Ok, it's time for you to go to bed." He told her after a few moments.

"Ok." Jenny replied. She lifted up the covers and slipped under. Her friend got up and walked over to her side. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." He whispered. Jenny looked up at him and smiled. She gently closed her eyes. Her friend quietly backed out of the room.

/~~~/

Alec and Ellie walked down the beach shore. They had gotten a call that morning. They had found Jack Marshall dead on the shore. He had killed himself.

Both of them approached the body, splayed out on the beach. The water would wash up and brush his body occasionally.

Alec looked down at Jack. 'Great, another one dead.' Alec thought to himself.

"Take the body down for treatment. Check it over. Call me when you're done." Alec told the other police officer that had occupied them. He then turned to walk back up the beach.

"What do we do know? He was our key suspect." Ellie asked him as she followed. He gave her a slight glance with a hard look and then kept walking.

/~~~/

"They've confirmed it. He did in fact kill himself." Ellie told Alec as she placed a handful of papers on his desk the next morning. Alec put his glasses on and picked up the papers.

"Ok... What about Susan? No dog yet is there?" Alec asked Ellie as he skimmed the papers.

"No, we haven't found the dog and she isn't giving us much at all." Ellie replied.

Alec thought to himself for a moment.

"What happened to Mark?" He asked her.

"He was cleared. He was with Becca Fisher the night Danny went missing." She told him. Alec looked up at her.

"Why didn't I know this?" He asked. Ellie gave him a wondering look.

"I thought you knew." She told him. He looked back down at the papers.

"No... I guess I forgot about it." Alec trailed off.

"Well I'm off to Susan again. You coming this time?" Ellie asked him as she turned to leave. Alec didn't look up at her.

"No you can do it." He said. Ellie gave a huff of her breath and walked out.

/~~~/

Alec leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. 'Why hadn't he found out about Mark being cleared?' He wondered to himself. He thought he had been on top of everything, including worrying about the thirteen year old girl.

Everything seemed to be passing him by. It was going by so quickly. Nothing seemed to stand still anymore. He was rushed with Jenny and couldn't follow his case half the time. The pressure was getting to him now. It was coming back to haunt him.


	5. Chapter 5

There they sat in the quiet Latimer house hold, well not very quiet on the inside but they tried to hide it. They all did.

Beth, Mark, Chloe and Liz sat on the coach that was up against the back wall. Jenny and Alec were sitting in separate chairs in front of them.

"Jenny would like to tell you something." Alec told the Latimers as he nodded towards Jenny. She looked back at him sadly and then turned to face the group on the coach.

"I was walking, a couple days ago, down High street when I found," She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Danny's phone." She finished her sentence. She looked up from her feet to look directly at Beth. She looked stunned.

"Where did you find it?" Liz asked Jenny. Jenny quickly turned from Beth to Liz. She opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Alec had noticed this.

"Outside the corner store by the beach." He answered Liz. Jenny snuck a small glance at Alec with a small smile that meant thank you. Alec noticed and nodded.

"Why are you telling us this?" Beth finally spoke up. Jenny sat up in her chair. She wasn't prepared to talk to Beth.

"We thought you would rather find out from us then the papers. Is that right?" Alec said assumingly. Jenny let out her breath.

Beth nodded and then reached over to take Chloe's hand in hers.

Jenny looked jealously at them. She longed for someone to take her hand and hold it like that.

Jenny was now becoming uncomfortable with the silence. She ran her hands up and down her legs.

"Who are you?" Mark asked to break the silence. Jenny's head shot up and her eyes widened at the question. Alec leaned forward in his chair eager to hear the answer.

"Um... Jenny." She answered. Mark shook his head.

"No, where are you from? I've never seen you before." He continued. Now he was on the edge of his seat. Jenny sighed.

"Here. I moved here about six months ago." She answered.

"What's your surname?" He asked Jenny. This was a question that Alec had never even thought to ask. He started to realise that he knew less then he thought about her.

"Silken" She answered Mark, very hesitant. Mark nodded.

"Parents? What's their names?" He asked. Jenny's eyes widened again. She could feel sweat coming on. Everyone was staring at her. She looked quickly from Alec to Mark, Beth to Chloe and finally Liz. She couldn't take it. She jumped up, knocking her chair over and ran to the door. She didn't even say good-bye to them. She just ran.

Alec was left with the Latimer's.

"Sorry about that." He told them.

"She doesn't like to talk about her parents." He continued. Mark looked at Alec questionably.

"Why?" Mark asked very sternly. Alec swallowed. He wasn't sure if he should be answering this question but he couldn't hide anything from this family. He already hid enough.

"They're both dead." He answered while he looked Mark in the eye. Mark sat back in his seat as the answer ran through his head. Dead. She had no parents. Now he understood why she had run off. He had pressured her.

"Yeah." Alec said as he started to get up. Beth spoke up again.

"What else can you tell us about the case?" She asked. Alec paused before he head to the door.

"We have Susan Wright in custody at the moment. That's about it I can tell you." He said to them all. Beth nodded and looked down at her feet. Alec turned to the door but before he left he asked one more question.

"Have you ever seen or heard about Jenny of her family?"

The Latimer's looked at each other.

"No I've never seen her before in my life." Beth answered. Alec looked out the door and then back at the Latimer's. He nodded to them.

"Ok." He said. He then continued out the door.

/~~~/

He walked up High street towards the Traders. He had an extra half hour until he had to go back to work. When he got back he knew Ellie was going to bug him about not being there with her for the questioning. The thing was he knew Ellie could do it by herself, just as good as he could've.

He turned in to the Traders side path but a voice stopped him.

"How have you been? Is the room working?" The voice said. Alec turned around to see Becca standing in front of him.

"Good, the room's good." He answered her. He brushed a strand of hair from his face.

"Good! I'm glad! So where is the occupant of this room?" She said with a big smile on her face. Alec didn't like that she was so happy and cheerful. It made him sick.

"I don't know." He answered short. Becca gave him a questioning look.

"Well that's good. Better find her." She started to back away from him.

"Yeah." He answered her. He nodded to her one last time as she faded from sight around the corner. He slowly started to back up. 'Where was Jenny?' He thought.

All of a sudden he could feel himself falling. Down the stairs he went. He could feel his breath jump right out of his mouth.

The impact was hard but it didn't knock him out. He laid there for a moment and thought about how stupid that was of him. He could've put himself back in the hospital.

He slowly sat up but stopped when the world around him became blurry. He took a slow deep breath and reached into his pocket to get his pills. It was happening again. His heart was failing him.

He then realised that he had left his pills in his room. He started to panic. He had no way of getting to them now. The impact was becoming worse. His head began to spin. He slowly laid back down on the path and drifted to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Slowly Alec came to his senses. The world was still spinning but this world was different from earlier. This world was white and bright. Off in the distance he could hear soft ticking sound.

/~~~/

"How much longer do you think he'll be out?" Jenny asked the nurse that was tending to Alec. She shook her head.

"I don't know. Hopefully not too long but maybe its better if he rests." She responded. Jenny nodded.

"Yeah. That way he can't go back to work." She mumbled to herself as the nurse walked away.

She looked down at Alec sound asleep. He didn't know that she was here but she hoped that when he woke up he would be grateful. Anyway, if it wasn't for her, he would be dead.

Jenny had made her way to her room that afternoon when she found Alec passed out near the stairs. She had immediately called 911 and she had come in the ambulance with him. They had then informed her that Alec had heart arrhythmia. The same condition that had killed both her parents.

Jenny then noticed Alec quietly stirring. He reached his hand up to his eyes to rub them. Jenny held her breath.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her as he came to his senses. He didn't know how she had gotten here or how she had found out.

"I found you passed out near the stairs." Jenny replied. Alec sighed.

"So you're the reason I'm here?" He asked her.

"What? You wanted me to leave you?" Jenny asked him loudly. She was getting frustrated with him now. All she wanted to do was leave and he kept making her stay. Now she tried to help him and he gets mad.

"No..." He let out a big breath. Jenny calmed herself down.

"Heart arrhythmia." She said. She folded her arms and waited for a reply. Alec looked at her with saddened eyes.

"How'd you find out?" He asked her.

"The nurse told me." Jenny told him.

"Does anyone know I'm here but you?" Alec asked her hopefully.

"No, just me." She replied.

"But I will tell someone unless you stay here. I'll make something up but you're not going anywhere until they clear you." She told him firmly. Alec slowly sat up. Jenny backed away in horror.

"No! You lay back down! You're not leaving!" She began to plead. She didn't want him to hurt himself anymore. She knew what could happen if he didn't rest. She was very familiar with it.

Alec twisted his legs out of the sheets and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm going and you are not to tell anyone else about this." He said sternly without meeting her eye.

"I'll tell someone..." Jenny's voice trailed off as she meet Alec's eye. She could tell he was saddened by all this but she could see the determination in his eye. She knew he wasn't going to stay.

"Fine." She finally mumbled. Alec gave her a slight smile.

"Ok. Grab my coat will you?" He pointed to his coat on the rack behind Jenny. Jenny turned and picked up the coat. She noticed a piece of paper fly out of its pocket but she continued to give his coat to him.

He stood up and slipped the coat on.

"You can go now. I'll see you tonight." He told her. Jenny snuck a glance at the paper on the floor and then looked at Alec. She nodded. There, she was staying another night.

"You alright?" He asked her. She slowly nodded to him. He turned to take a sip of water on his night stand and Jenny then reached down to pick up the paper. She stuck it in her jacket pocket.

"Ok, bye." She said goodbye with a smile. She then walked out of the hospital.

/~~~/

Outside she reached into her pocket to retrieve the paper. The pulled it out and flipped it over. It wasn't a piece of paper, it was a picture.

A girl who looked around twelve or thirteen stared back at her. The girl had long brown hair and brown eyes. She sort of looked like Alec.

Jenny then flipped the photo back over. There was a name. Diana.

Alec had a daughter. This surprised Jenny but it made her think. He needed her more.

/~~~/

"She told us and we didn't need the bloody dog!" Ellie yelled over excitedly to Alec that afternoon.

Alec had made it back to the office and was glad that nobody knew about the incident the night before.

"So, tell me what happened." He told Ellie with a slight smile. He was happy to see her so happy.

"She was walking on the beach at about three or four in the morning and she saw Danny's body. She told me that she thought it was beautiful. Her daughter was killed by her husband, long story, and she told me that the reason she thought it was beautiful was because she wondered if her daughter looked like that when she died." Ellie talked really fast. Alec widened his eyes.

"She told me she didn't think she did." Ellie finished and her smile faded.

"So she didn't kill Danny?" He asked.

"Nope." Alec leaned back in his chair.

"Oh, who could it be?" He yelled. Ellie looked at Alec and noticed a hospital bracelet on his wrist.

"Sir, where did you get that?" She pointed to his wrist. He sat up in his chair and looked to where she was pointing.

"Oh, ah, I just went for a check-up this morning. Nothing." He said.

"Ok. So what do we do with Susan?" Ellie asked him.

Alec thought for a moment.

"Release her. She didn't do it and I think that's all we need from her." He said. Ellie nodded and left the room.

Alec rolled up his sleeve when Ellie was out of sight. He bit off his hospital bracelet. He didn't need other people asking questions.

/~~~/

Jenny made her way back to the Traders that evening. She had gone out to a small restaurant for supper and then she went to the beach and walked around for a bit. The waves calmed her.

Just as she was about to open the door to her room her phone bussed in her pocket. She sighed then took out her phone. It was a message from her friend. 'I'm leaving.' It read. Jenny stared down at her phone, eyes widened.

So turned and ran up the stairs and down the street. She couldn't let him leave. She needed him. It wasn't fair to her. Faster and faster she ran.

She came to a small box at the end of the road. She pushed open the door and ran in. There in front of her was her friend.

"I'm sorry." He said. Jenny slowly walked up to him.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" She asked him puzzled. He continued to walk to her. He took both her hands in his.

"I just can't." He said. Jenny quickly pulled her hands from his.

"You can't do this. You can't leave. What am I suppose to do?" She started raising her voice.

"I'll be back in a bit. Whenever I can." He said. He started to walk towards the door of the box. Jenny walked backwards while staring into his eyes.

"How long?" Jenny asked him.

"I don't know." He said. Jenny stepped out of the box. He followed her.

"Ok, Alec will look after you. Help him with the case. You know more than he does. I think he needs you more then he admits." He said to her. Jenny could feel tears coming to her eyes.

"You can't go." She said shaking now.

"I'm sorry." He said. Tears flowed freely now.

"Goodbye." He told her. He stepped back into his box and that was that.

Jenny broke down. She didn't know what to do. What was she suppose to tell Alec? She knew he was paying for her room. The lying would have to stop soon. She couldn't hide it from him.

/~~~/

Off in the distance Alec noticed a figure. It looked like Jenny. He started to walk faster down the road. The closer he got he started to realise that it was Jenny. She was standing there crying.

"Jenny?" He asked her when he got close enough. Jenny's head shot up at the sound of her name. Her eyes were stained red and tears when flowing down her face. Alec ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She cried harder.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked her. Jenny snuffled before answering him.

"My friend. He left me." She mumbled.

"Wait, what friend?" He asked her as he stroked her hair softly.

"Just a friend. He meant a lot to me." She said. Alec gently backed away from Jenny but still held on to her arms.

"Come on. Let's go to the pub ok?" He asked her. Jenny nodded and wiped her tears. Alec took Jenny's hand and they both made their way back to the Traders pub.


	7. Chapter 7

They both took seats in the Traders pub. The room was quiet and peaceful but the presence of each other broke that feeling.

Jenny was staring down at the table thinking about her loss. Such a big part of her life had just upped and left.

Alec was fiddling with his fingers while sitting across from Jenny. He didn't know how to approach Jenny about this. He didn't even know who this friend was.

"So, um, are you ok?" Alec asked awkwardly. Jenny slightly raised her head to look at him. Her eyes where stained red after all her time crying. She shook her head.

"Who was he?" Alec continued. He wasn't any good at these things, in fact he was rubbish.

"A friend." Jenny said. "A very good friend."

Alec continued to think.

"Why'd he leave?" He asked her. He settled his hands on the table between them waiting for an answer.

"He said he didn't want to wait for me. He wanted to go by himself." Jenny said. The end of her sentence sort of faded. Tears stung her eyes but she held them in.

"So you were going to leave?" Alec asked. He had no idea she was planning to leave. He thought this was her home.

"I don't know." She answered. She raised her hands and covered her face. She didn't want to tell him. She was ashamed.

"How can you not know if you were going to leave?" Alec asked her very sternly. Jenny could just make out the softness in his voice.

She looked at him for a second and then took a deep breath.

"I travel, it's what I do. I travel with him." She started. She leaned forward in her chair a bit. Alec did the opposite, he leaned back to listen.

"I...I don't live here. I never have. I don't have a hut and I don't work here." She said all this very fast. She just wanted to get it out. It pained her to lie to Alec and she thought this would help. The thing was it wasn't.

Alec opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. All this and he thought he knew her.

"I'm sorry, I really am! I didn't know what to say! John just wanted me to have a look around but then I found that phone and I saw you so I-"

"You lied to me." Alec finally found words. Now he felt stupid. A twelve year old girl had fooled him.

Jenny sat back in her chair.

"You think I wanted to?" She asked him clearly shocked.

"No but you did anyway." He raised his voice.

"I should have you charged for obstructing a murder case." He continued. Jenny now appeared scared. She slightly moved back her chair preparing herself to run.

Alec took in what he had just said to Jenny. He didn't mean what he said honestly, it just came out.

"Jenny, I didn't mean that." He said quickly. He sat up in his chair and raised a hand to her.

"I would never charge you, you know that." He continued. Jenny relaxed a bit. She didn't understand Alec anymore. What his words meant now she didn't know.

"I'm sorry." He spit out the words like they hurt but he meant it. He really did. He felt responsible for Jenny and he had to protect her but the first thing was to gain her trust. Right now he was failing pitifully.

"It's alright." She replied. Alec smiled a bit.

"Good." He said. He was becoming soft. Apologising was something he never did but it made her feel better and he meant it.

"What are you gonna do now?" He asked her.

"I was gonna stay here." She said as if it was obvious.

"Is that alright?" She asked Alec. Alec smiled again; this was the most he had ever smiled in one day.

"Yeah, I was hoping you would."

/~~~/

That night they stood outside the doors to both of their rooms. It was getting colder and Jenny wanted to hurry inside.

"Good night." Alec said to Jenny. She was holding her arms with her hands to try to warm herself up. She nodded slightly.

"Night." She replied. She turned to her door and watched out of the corner of her eye; Alec walk in to his. She pushed open the door and felt a rush of warmth as she entered. She walked over to her bed that was all made up and noticed a paper. She picked it up carefully and read it. 'I'm sorry, so, so sorry.' It read. Jenny could feel anger boiling inside herself now.

She crumbled the paper in his hands and threw it on the floor. She run to the door and pulled it open. She stopped as she got outside. What was she doing? She couldn't go anywhere because there wasn't anywhere to go. But she came to a decision.

She walked next door and gently tapped on the door. She patiently waited while she looked around making sure no one noticed her. Alec opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her surprised at her presence. Jenny shifted uncomfortably.

"I was wondering if you had an extra bed. One I could stay in tonight." She asked him. She shivered a bit. The fast transition from warm to cold got to her. Alec paused to think for a moment.

"Yeah, come in." He said to her. He backed up to let her in. Jenny gave him a smile and walked passed him. He had the same room as her. This presumed a problem. There was only one bed. She turned to look at Alec.

"There's only one bed." She told him. Alec sniffed. The cold was getting to him too.

"You take the bed, I'll take the chair." He said as he pointed over to a chair in the corner of the room.

"No. You should take the bed. You need to recover. It would be bad for your heart if you were to stay in the chair." She debated.

"No you take the bed." Alec said sternly. He meant what he said.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." He continued. He walked over to the chair in the corner and sat down. Jenny watched him but then walked over to the bed. She undid the covers and climbed in. She sat up and looked at Alec.

"Night." She said. Alec looked up at her.

"Night." He replied. Jenny reached over and turned out the lights. She laid back and drifted to sleep.

/~~~/

The next morning Jenny woke up around eight o'clock. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. For a second she forgot where she was. Then she remembered that she was with Alec but he wasn't there anymore. She sighed and remembered that he had to be at work for seven.

She untangled herself from the covers and then made her bed. She walked over to the fridge to see what Alec had to eat here. She opened it and all her had was an apple.

"Where does he get the energy for all this?" Jenny wondered out loud. She closed the fridge without taking anything. She decided she would go to the corner store by the beach to pick something up. Then maybe she would go see John.

Then it hit her again. He wasn't here anymore. She stopped for a moment to process this thought again. He would come back for her right?

She shook the thought away and continued to make her way to the door.

Outside the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. People walked past Jenny as she made her way down the road. They all had such big smiles on their faces, like there wasn't a care in the world. Jenny wondered if they were losing interest in Danny's murder case. She wondered if they actually could. I mean someone in your neighbourhood gets killed but someone else in your neighbourhood. Jenny wouldn't be sleeping personally.

At the end of the road she reached the small corner store. She turned to enter and then noticed a sign. It read 'Sorry, we are closed.' Jenny looked in the windows and noticed that the place was empty.

"What's happened?" She asked herself.

"He's dead." Someone said to Jenny behind her. Jenny turned to face Chloe Latimer.

"What do you mean he's dead?" Jenny asked surprised. Chloe shrugged her shoulders.

"He killed himself." She replied.

"It's Jenny right?" She continued. Jenny nodded her head. She looked back at the shop.

"Alec never told you?" Chloe continued. Jenny thought that she asked too many questions.

"Why would he tell me this?" She asked. Chloe raised her eyebrows.

"I thought her was looking after you. That's what he told us at least." She said. Jenny opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Why would Alec think that then? Maybe now, but not then. She had her friend. Now she didn't.

"I guess." Jenny mumbled.

"Thanks for telling me it was closed. I'll find someplace else." Jenny thanked Chloe. Jenny started to walk back up the road. She was stopped by Chloe's hand grabbing her arm.

"Has he almost figured it out, DI Hardy?" She asked Jenny. Jenny's eyes widened.

"Um...I don't really know. He doesn't talk to me about it really." She replied. She shook her arm free from Chloe's grasp.

"Bye." Her goodbye came out as a whisper. She continued down the road.


	8. Chapter 8

Alec sat at his desk the next morning reading over some forensics from the hut on the cliff. Nothing made sense to him anymore.

That morning he had left his room without waking Jenny. His back killed him from sleeping; well not really sleeping; on the coach. Maybe he should have listened to Jenny and taken the bed.

All of a sudden his phone rang. He reached into his pocket to get it. He pulled it out and read the caller ID. It said 'Paul Cotes'. Alec answered it.

"Hello." Alec said.

"Hi, you mind coming down to the church now? I have something for you." Paul asked Alec. Alec took a deep breath and looked down at the papers on his desk. He thought about it for a second.

"Sure. What for?" He asked Paul.

"I just have something that might help with the case." Paul replied.

"Ok. Bye." Alec replied and hung up before Paul could say anything else. Alec was desperate now. He would take anything he could get.

/~~~/

Jenny went into the police station. It was very quiet on the first floor but when she reached the third floor it was loud with the sound of busy workers.

She entered and to her relief nobody stared at her. She made her way down the hall and came to Alec's door. She knocked on it gently.

"He's not here." A voice came from behind her.

"Do I not know anything?" Jenny mumbled under her breath. She turned to see who owned the voice. On the ladies name tag it read DS Ellie Miller.

"Um...hi." Jenny said to Ellie. Jenny didn't recognise her.

"Hi, who are you?" Ellie asked her. Jenny shifted uncomfortably.

"Jenny." She replied. Her voice shook a bit as she said her own name. It felt unreal to her. Ellie looked at Jenny as she searched her memory for the name.

"Wait a minute. You're Jenny? The one Alec's been looking after?" She asked Jenny coming to the realisation of who she was. Jenny nodded.

"Yeah. That's me." Jenny said. Ellie gave her a weird look.

"Wow." Ellie said in amazement.

"What?" Jenny asked her.

"I just can't believe he would do this." Ellie said in complete shock.

"Um...do what?" Jenny said confused.

"Look after a kid. That's just not like him." Ellie replied. Jenny stood up taller.

"Well it is now." Jenny said confirming her own thoughts. Ellie paused for a moment.

"He went out just a bit ago. He didn't say where." Ellie told Jenny. Jenny nodded and gave her a smile. She turned to head back down the corridor.

"You're invited for diner." Ellie yelled down the hall. Jenny turned to look at Ellie. She was confused. Why would someone invite her to diner? She didn't even know who Ellie was.

"You and Alec." Ellie finished her sentence.

"Ah...ok. When?" Jenny said in complete shock.

"Tonight." Ellie told her. Jenny nodded slowly.

"Ok..." She finished. She quickly turned and left before Ellie could say anything else to her.

/~~~/

Alec walked up the path to the church. Paul was standing in the doorway with a box in his hands.

"What's this?" Alec asked Paul as he made it to him. Paul looked down at the contains of the box.

"This is Tom Millers laptop. I found him smashing it up last night in the woods." Paul told Alec.

"Why where you in the woods?" Alec asked Paul suspiciously.

"I take my walk there every night." Paul said confidently. Alec raised his eyebrows.

"Ok." Alec said uneasily. He motioned for Paul to hand him the box. He did. Alec looked down at the contains. The computer was all smashed to pieces.

"I should tell you, Tom threatened to tell you I abused Danny if I gave this to you." Paul spoke up. Alec looked up from the box. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He thought his words through more carefully.

"And did you?" Alec chose his words finally. This time it was Paul choosing his words carefully. He opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"No." He finally managed to say. Alec raised his eyebrows again.

"Ok." He said. He looked down at the box as if looking for inspiration. He couldn't think of anything. He looked back at Paul and whispered 'Thanks' to Paul as he turned to go. Paul nodded and watched Alec walk away.

When Paul was out of hearing reach Alec pulled out his phone and dialled a number. It rang for a few seconds.

"Hey, could you get the software off of Tom's computer? Send it to my personal email. Thanks, you're a star." He said into the phone. He then hung up and continued down the path.

/~~~/

Jenny was on High street looking for Alec. She thought through what Ellie had asked her. Diner? Was that really a good idea? What would Alec say when she told him that she had agreed to it? It all freaked her out. It would be like a family and she didn't want a family.

Up ahead she noticed a man in a black suit. It looked like Alec. She walked faster and faster and then made it to him.

"Alec." Jenny said to his back. He turned to face her with his eyebrows raised.

"Oh...hi." He greeted her uneasily. She smiled a bit.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you last night. I'll be in my own room tonight so it's fine." She thanked him. She knew that he needed his bed to recover. Stress was enough; not having a bed to sleep in was even more.

"No problem." He replied. Jenny thought her words over carefully in her mind for a moment.

"We're going to Ellie's house tonight, for diner." Jenny blurted out. She saw his eyes widen. She hung her head down ashamed.

"I knew you wouldn't want to go but she asked me to and then she said you too." Jenny said defending her case.

"You know I can't go to that." Alec started with his eyes filled with fear.

"I know but just be careful ok?" Jenny pleaded.

"What else was I suppose to say to her?" She continued. Alec just stood there in silence.

"Fine. Meet me at the Traders at 4; we'll head down to her house then." Alec finally said. Jenny nodded in agreement. Jenny then noticed that Alec was holding a box.

"What's in the box?" She asked him. Alec thought about answering her. He wasn't sure if he should tell her or leave it at that.

"Um...Tom Millers computer. Paul Cotes gave it to me. I'm bringing it in to be analysed." Alec told Jenny answering his own question. Jenny's head shot up.

"Does Ellie know?" She asked him. Alec shook his head.

"What do we do tonight? Do we just not mention it?" Jenny asked Alec. Alec paused for a moment.

"Don't mention it." He confirmed to her. Jenny nodded. They stood there for a moment in silence. Jenny fiddled her feet around.

"Can I come with you? To the station?" She asked him. Alec looked at her and considered it.

"Sure, why not." He said. Jenny smiled. He nodded for her to follow him. She continued to smile the entire way to the station.

/~~~/

Just as the station came into sight it started to pour.

"Shoot!" Jenny yelled. She took her jacket off and covered her head. Alec winced as the rain started to come down.

"Come on!" He yelled as he ran to the station. Jenny followed him at a quick pace. They both made it under the porch. Jenny burst out in laughter. It was the first time she had laughed in a long time. Ever since things had gone wrong she didn't have time for the best things in life, like laughter.

Alec started to laugh too. They both stood there and laughed as they watched the rain come down. To Jenny it was like her tears were coming down around her. It made her feel better to know that it wasn't her falling apart; it was the world around her.

Alec snuck a glance at Jenny. She looked exactly like his daughter. They both had the same features, the same sharp brown eyes. The same smile, but not the same personality. Jenny was hidden from the rest of the world. She didn't like people worrying about her; she wanted to worry about others. His daughter wanted all the attention; everything had to be about her. He wasn't sure if she was still like that but he guessed so. His ex could never control her.

"Come on, we can go in now." Jenny said breaking the silence. Alec snapped back into reality. She turned and opened the door to the station. Alec looked one more time at the rain and then walked in through the door Jenny was holding open for him.

They walked up to the third floor and they turned to a desk in the corner of the room. A man sat there busy with papers.

"Here." Alec said to the man as he handed the box to him.

"Oh." The man said taking the box. Alec nodded to him and then turned back to the center of the room. He almost knocked Jenny over in the process but he never stopped to apologize. Jenny shot him a look behind his back.

They continued back to Alec's office. Jenny entered and plopped down into the chair facing his desk. Alec sat down at his own desk. He let out a big sigh. He took off his soaked jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. He then turned to face Jenny.

"You ok?" He asked her. Jenny twisted her mouth and then replied.

"Yeah. You?" She answered. Alec looked taken aback.

"Of course." He answered. Jenny placed her jacket down on the chair next to her. It was dripping water.

"Do you have anyone?" Jenny asked Alec. That question had been nagging at her for a while now. Did he have a family? If so where were they?

Alec didn't answer for a while. Jenny started to think that he wasn't going to answer. Finally he spoke up.

"Not anymore, not really." He told her. Jenny looked concernedly at him.

"Why not? What happened?" She asked him. Alec bit his lip.

"Divorced, my...ah...daughter is with her mother." He continued. It pained him to tell Jenny this.

"Why'd you divorce?" Jenny asked cautiously. Alec leaned back in his chair. He held off from answering for a bit.

"It was during a case, it was the death of two girls around your age. We had all the evidence but it was circumstantial. One day my DS found a pendant that had belonged to one of the girls." He stopped for a moment thinking about how to phrase this.

"She stopped that night at a bar for a quick drink. Her car was broken into and the pendant and other valuables were stolen. Just a quick smash and grab but enough damage was done. It fell apart after that." He finished.

"Wait, so the case fell apart after that but that doesn't explain your divorce." Jenny said. Alec took another breath and sighed. He ran his hands over his face and then continued.

"Yes it does actually." He said.

"This DS...she was my wife." Alec finished. Jenny's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting that.

"Why did she stop for a drink Alec?" Jenny asked. Alec's hands fell by his side.

"She was having an affair with one of the other DS's on the team. She thought she would celebrate." He told Jenny. Jenny wasn't expecting that either.

"God Alec! Why is she with her mother? She should be with you!" Jenny yelled at him.

"Wait a minute..." Jenny came to a realisation.

"You took the blame?" Jenny asked him. He nodded slowly. Jenny didn't know what to say. His family fell apart because of his wife. Everything. He must've been so happy until then.

"I'm so sorry Alec." Jenny said to him. She then realised that he was crying. She felt so bad. Everything he had worked up to in his life was taken away by someone stupid enough to do what they did.

Jenny stood up and walked over to Alec. He had his head in his hands and was leaning on his desk. Jenny reached over and gave him a hug. He surprising wrapped his arms around her too. He cried into her shoulder. They sat there for a while. Jenny wanted him to get it all out. All that must've been burning inside him for a long time.

Finally Alec withdrew from her arms. He sat up and looked at her. Tears had stained his eyes.

"Don't tell anyone. Please." He begged. Jenny shook her head.

"Of course not." She replied. She leaned over and tried to give him another hug but he refused. Instead he stood up and wiped his eyes. He nodded at Jenny and then left the room.

/~~~/

Please leave reviews! I love hearing what you have to say about my story!

Thanks! xoxo


	9. Chapter 9

Jenny was left sitting in his office after he had left the room. She sat down in his chair behind his desk and spun around. She liked the feeling that she got when she did that, almost as if she was flying. She then halted by grabbing the edge of the desk with her hands. In front of her were papers labelled 'Forensics'. Jenny looked up out the glass door to make sure no one was watching her. When she was sure it was clear she gently picked them up. She leaned back in the chair as she turned the first page.

It was all based on the hut on the cliff. It had info on dates the hut was used all up to fingerprints found. Jenny was interested. All the different people Alec could choose from, all the people who could have done it. One of the main people listed was Mark Latimer but Jenny was almost positive he wouldn't have done it. He would have been acting differently, possibly more cautious. When Jenny had seen him he had been really upset, like a big hole had been places in his heart. It couldn't have been him.

Then there was Jack Marshall. Jenny had never met him but she knew he had killed himself. If it was him it wasn't any use now since he was dead.

The last one Jenny glanced at was Susan Wright. Jenny had noticed her walking her dog around town a few times. She always scared Jenny a bit. She was always a possibility I guess but then why had Alec let her go?

All of a sudden there was a knock on the door. Jenny's head shot up and she saw a familiar face. Ellie.

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked her after she had entered the room. Jenny sat up and placed the paper back on the desk. She pushed her hair behind her ear and tried to speak. Nothing came out.

"Get out." Ellie told her. Jenny continued to stare at Ellie. She didn't want to go but she quietly got out of Alec's chair and walked past Ellie. She made her way out of the station without speaking another word to anyone.

/~~~/

Alec stood over the sink in the bathroom. His head was beginning to spin again. He reached into his jacket pocket to take his pill. He was successful in doing this. He slowly leaned with his back on the sink. Why had he told Jenny? As if she would understand anything.

He slowly gained his balance and then walked out of the bathroom.

Out in the corridor Alec walked past Ellie. Ellie grabbed his arm to catch his attention. Alec turned to face her.

"What do you want?" Alec asked her annoyed. Ellie gave him a stern look as if telling him not to mess with her. Alec took that as a sign that she wasn't in a good mood.

"Jenny was just sitting in your office and reading your papers, sir." Ellie told him. His eyes widened.

"No, she wouldn't do that." Alec told Ellie. He didn't believe that. Jenny reading the papers to Danny's case? Never.

"Sir, I walked in on her and she threw the papers down back on your desk. I told her to get out and she did. I didn't see it wrong." Ellie continued. Alec thought this over in his head. Why would Ellie have any reason to lie to him? Maybe she was right.

"I'll talk to her." Alec said simply as he turned to keep going to his office.

"Sir! It's a lot more serious than that!" Ellie yelled down the corridor. Alec heard her but kept walking.

/~~~/

Jenny was back in her room that afternoon. Since she was going out to dinner she thought she would have to wear something relatively nice. The thing was she didn't have anything. She reached into her pocket and pulled out thirty pounds. Alec had given it to her yesterday before he went to work. It was all she had.

She shoved the money back into her pocket and walked out of her room. She locked the door behind her and then she looked at her watch. She had two hours before Alec would be coming to get her, from there they would go to the Miller's house.

She walked down the main road until she came across a little shop that looked like it sold good clothes. She walked in and just about turned around. There in the front of the store was Beth Latimer.

"Jenny?" She heard Beth call out to her. Jenny stopped in her tracks. She couldn't just ignore Beth, not after she ran from her home the other day. She slowly turned around with an awkward smile on her face. Beth gave her a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Beth asked her. Jenny made her way back into the store.

"Um...I'm looking for something to wear for a dinner." She told Beth. Beth raised her eyebrows.

"Really? Where are you going?" She asked Jenny interested. Jenny thought about her answer carefully.

"DS Miller's house. Alec and I were invited this morning." Jenny answered. She felt so awkward talking to Beth. She was embarrassed about running away from her house.

"Cool. So what are you looking for? A dress, a top, what?" Beth asked her. Jenny was surprised that Beth even cared.

"Just a top I think." Jenny told her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the thirty pounds.

"I've got only this." She finished. Beth smiled kindly at her.

"Don't you worry, there's lots of stuff you can find for less than that." Beth said to her. Jenny smiled.

In Jenny's head, Beth was the first person she truly had fun with. All afternoon Beth and she tried on different tops and dresses. Every color of the rainbow and every style. It was the most fun Jenny had had in years. Finally Jenny settled on a purple top with little black beads scattered over it. Beth also walked out of the store with a new dress. It made them both feel better.

"That was fun!" Jenny said as she laughed. They both walked down the road back to the Traders.

"Yeah! You looked great in the top! It suits you!" Beth laughed.

Near the end of the road in a shop window there was a sign. It read 'We want closer.' Beth spotted it and stopped in her trail. Jenny noticed her looking at the sign and slowly walked up to Beth.

"You alright?" Jenny asked her. Beth nodded with a small smile.

"Yeah, it's nice to know that the whole town wants the case closed." She said.

"Beth, it's so much more than just this small town. The country wants the case closed. They care, they all do." Jenny told Beth. Beth's smile faded.

"The thing is, if everyone wants closer, where is it?" Beth said. Jenny could feel tears flowing in her own eyes now.

"He'll do it, he'll find closer for you. I promise." Jenny said. She walked up to Beth and took her hand. Beth took one last look at the sign and then followed Jenny down the road.

/~~~/

Alec knocked on Jenny's door that evening. It was time to go to the Miller's house. Jenny came to the door and opened it. She smiled at Alec.

"Ready?" She asked him. He nodded. Jenny came out and locked the door behind her. They then walked down the road to the Miller's house.

It was a cold night and the sky was full of clouds. You couldn't see any stars.

The Miller's house was quiet the walking distance but it didn't take them more than twenty minutes to make it to their front door. In the doorway Alec looked at Jenny.

"Knock." He told her. Jenny knocked on the door and they waited a few seconds. Then Ellie came to answer the door.

"Hello, come on in." She greeted them.

Please leave reviews! I love reading them!


	10. Chapter 10

Jenny entered first while Alec followed. When she entered she got the feeling of being back her own home, with her own family, where she was comfortable. She shook that feeling away as soon as possible.

Alec had been in here once before for dinner so he knew what to expect. The house looked the same as the last time he had been here. It was a sort of messy where everything was in its place. Alec felt uncomfortable still.

"Here we are." Ellie said as she showed them to the dining room table. She had a big gappy smile on her face. Jenny thought she was a bit too perky.

Alec sat down at the end of the table. Jenny sat next to him on the side of the table. Ellie went around a corner and called for the rest of her family.

"Joe, Tom!" She yelled. Jenny looked at the table as she waited. Everything looked beautiful. She was excited; it had been a long time since she had had a nice home cooked meal.

All of a sudden a man and a young boy entered the room. The little boy looked younger then Jenny, maybe around eleven. They both sat down at the table; the little boy next to Jenny and the man across from him.

"Well, we're all here now." Ellie said as she sat down at the other end of the table.

"Here everyone, take a bit. There's plenty to go around." She said as she passed a bowl of mashed potatoes to Tom.

When the potatoes got around to Alec he paused for a moment. He thought about what it might do to him. In conclusion he decided to take just about a cup of mashed potatoes. He then passed it to Joe.

After everyone had their serving of food; Ellie spoke up.

"So Jenny, tell us about yourself." Jenny's head shot up. She wasn't expecting to have to tell everyone about herself.

"There isn't much to tell." Jenny said. She put down her fork and placed her hands on her legs.

"Oh come on, there must be lots." Joe said. 'Great, it is a perky family.' Jenny thought to herself.

"If you don't tell, I'll ask Alec." Ellie said to try to influence Jenny to speak up. Now Jenny was panicking.

"Well...I...ah...I'm from a small town and...I travel-a lot...I ended up here." She said stretching her sentence out as much as she could to try to make it sound like a lot.

"Do you travel alone?" Joe asked Jenny.

"Ah-no. I traveled with a friend." Jenny answered.

"Traveled? Past-tense?" Ellie said.

"Well I don't really know what I'm doing right now. My-my friend...he left me." Jenny finished. Alec looked at Jenny. He knew this was something she really wasn't keen on telling them. Especially someone who she didn't really know.

"What do you mean left you?" Ellie asked. Jenny wanted to run now but she couldn't. She had lost all feeling in her legs.

"He just did." She said. The thought of him leaving brought tears to her eyes. Alec noticed this.

"Great potatoes Miller." Alec said trying to change the subject. Ellie's head shot up. Alec had never complimented her before.

"Ah thanks." Ellie said. Alec nodded to Ellie and then turned his head to Jenny. She was looking at him too. She showed him a little smile as if saying thanks. Alec gave her a small smile back. They both then went back to their food.

"So Alec, have any family close by?" Joe asked Alec. Alec put his fork down on his plate. Jenny quickly looked at Alec. She was getting scared. What if he ran off? He had to be strong here.

"Um... no." He answered.

"No one? Well do you have any family at all? Wife?" Joe continued as he took a bite of his potatoes. Alec stiffened in his seat.

"Not anymore, no." Alec said. Jenny could sense he wasn't comfortable talking about this at all.

"I also have a daughter, fifteen, lives with her mother." Alec finished. He just sort of blurted it out.

Jenny looked over at everyone else at the table. She wanted to see their expressions. She knew that Alec didn't seem the type to have a daughter.

Ellie's face was smeared with shock. Joe was looking down at his plate and was twirling his potatoes with his fork. Tom just continued to eat.

"Oh..." Joe said. Alec nodded.

"Do you know who killed Danny DI?" Tom finally spoke up. It really wasn't a great time to ask that. Alec thought about it for a moment.

"No, Tom, I do not," Alec said. He then sat forward in his chair looking at Tom.

"But I will find out who did. Your mom and me, ok?" He finished. Tom looked Alec in the eye and nodded. Ellie watched them closely.

"Ok, everyone done?" Ellie asked as she stood up. She reached down and picked up her plate. Alec leaned back and let Ellie take his plate. Jenny, Joe and Tom did the same.

"That was good, thanks." Jenny told Joe. Joe smiled at her.

"No need to thank me, I didn't do anything." He said to her with a chuckle. Jenny laughed. She still felt uncomfortable but she thought she should try to seem more comfortable.

"So what do you do Mr. Miller?" Jenny asked him. Joe shook his head.

"Stay at home, for the kids." He answered. Jenny thought he seemed a little ashamed of it but everyone carries something they regret.

"Oh well that's good." Jenny said. Joe nodded. Then Ellie walked back into the room. She was carrying a few banana splits.

"Here! Desert!" She said very cheerfully. She placed each one in front of everyone. Jenny thought it looked delicious and she dove right in.

Alec looked nervously at his. He glanced over at Jenny and noticed that she was enjoying hers. 'Well, it does look good.' He thought to himself. He then decided to try it. He picked up his spoon and took a bit. He then tasted it, it was great!

Everyone ate in silence for a bit. The silence was filled with the sound of forks hitting plates. Jenny looked over at Joe. He was looking at his empty plate while spinning his fork. He was in deep thought. Jenny decided to ignore this and finished off her desert and then placed her fork on her plate. She leaned back in her chair and waited for everyone else to finish.

One by one everyone finished. Tom was the last one to finish and as he did Ellie and Joe got up and collected the plates. They both took them out to the kitchen. Alec, Tom and Jenny were left alone for a few minutes.

"So Tom, what do you do for fun around here?" Jenny asked him. She hadn't lived here at all until now and she tended to think that the town was boring; all she could think of to do was go to the beach.

"Um... well there's the skate park and the arcade. Those are the most popular things to do here, other than bingo for, you know, older people." Tom told Jenny. He and Jenny laughed for a bit over the last bit.

"Nice, so you're sort of out of luck if you don't skateboard or like arcade games I guess." Jenny came to a conclusion. Tom laughed as he nodded.

Alec leaned back in his chair as Tom and Jenny talked. He found it relaxed him, just listening to them talk. He had never heard Jenny talk to a child before and he found that she was rather comfortable with it. He thought that she wouldn't want to talk to Tom while she was here; he guessed he was wrong.

Ellie and Tom came back into the room and stood by the door. Jenny and Tom finished up their conversation and then looked up at them. Alec did the same.

"Well thank you for coming over you two." Ellie said to Jenny and Alec. Both of them stood up and pushed in their chairs. They followed Ellie and Joe to the door.

"Thanks Miller." Alec thanked Ellie as he turned to leave. Jenny held off a moment and waved to Tom whom was heading up the stairs behind Ellie and Joe. He waved back then moved out of sight.

"Thanks Ellie, it was great." Jenny thanked Ellie.

"No problem, I had a great time." Ellie replied. Jenny nodded her head to Ellie and Joe and then she turned and followed Alec down the street.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry this is so late! I hope you like this chapter! Please leave reviews! I absolutely love them! Thanks!

Alec and Jenny walked down the road in silence. Jenny was holding her jacket around her shoulders to block out the cold. Alec had his hands in his pockets and he was looking at the ground as he walked. Jenny soon decided to break the silence. To her every moment she spent in silence made her feel alone.

"The desert was the best. How'd you like it?" Jenny asked Alec. Alec looked up at her but she didn't meet his eye. He opened his mouth a few times forming words that wouldn't come out.

"Ah...it was good, yeah." He finally answered. He then looked back down at the road. Jenny then turned to look at Alec. She wondered if he and his wife had been happy together. She wondered if she had been planning to do what she did or if she just got an offer and took it? She had so many questions that she wanted to ask Alec but she knew it would upset him. After having witnessed him break down earlier today she didn't want to do that again to him.

Soon they reached the Traders and this was where Jenny was to say goodbye to Alec for the night. He was heading back out to the station for one last check of everything.

Both of them stood there in silence once again. Things were so awkward between them now and Jenny couldn't figure out why.

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow." Jenny told Alec.

"Yeah, in the morning." Alec replied. All of a sudden, Jenny did something she knew Alec would think was the weirdest thing ever. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Just a thank you and a pick-me-up. She pulled away quickly and smiled up at him.

"I'm really sorry that your family fell apart." Jenny told him. Alec stared down at Jenny in shock. Not from the peck on the cheek but at the words she spoke. He hadn't been thinking that that was what she would say now. He lowered his head and looked at his feet. Jenny was becoming just like a daughter to him now, sort of distant but close at the same time.

"Yeah." He finally replied. Jenny then put her hand on his shoulder. Alec looked at her.

"Night." She said to him. She then walked away from him and into her room. Alec looked at her as she walked away.

"Night." He mumbled to himself. He then turned and made his way to the station.

/~~~/

Alec now sat at his office desk. He was just about to look at his emails for the day before he left. His computer was turned off so he sat there for a few moments while his computer turned on. In this extra time he sat there and thought.

How was his daughter? That was one question he asked himself every day. Was she alright? Did she ever think of him? If she did, did she think he was horrible? Or had she forgiven him but just forgotten to call? All these questions nagged at him day after day never to be resolved until the day he saw her again, which could be years.

Finally, when his computer had loaded, the screen lit up with a flash. 'New message.' It flashed. Alec looked at it and then decided to click it. It opened onto a white screen with small black writing. Alec couldn't read it so he reached into his pocket and took out his glasses. He put them on and read the screen.

"No..." He said to himself in amazement. He stared at the screen in shock.

"Now it all makes sense!" He yelled.

/~~~/

The next morning Jenny woke up and ran into the pub. She was starving and that was where Becca had told her to meet her for breakfast. People were being strangely nice but Jenny didn't want to take the time to figure it out. She was in such a great mood.

"Hey." Becca said to Jenny as she bounded into the room. Jenny jumped into the seat at the far table and smiled at Becca.

"Hey! How are you?" Jenny asked her. Becca gave Jenny an awkward smile.

"Well you're really happy today! What's so great about today?" Becca responded as she put a cup on Jenny's table.

"No reason, I just feel great." Jenny replied. She then sat up and took the cup and poured water into it from the pitcher on the table. She then took a sip and sighed.

"Well, Alec said he hopes you have a good day today, he won't be around. He also mentioned something about an email as he left but I couldn't make it out." Becca told Jenny. Jenny thought for a moment. Email? What was so important about an email?

"Ok, thanks." Jenny thanked Becca. Becca then placed Jenny's breakfast on the table and she dove in. It was delicious.

When she had finished she sat back in her chair and sighed.

"I have eaten the most food I have in my entire life in the last two days." Jenny said as she laughed a bit. Becca looked at Jenny and laughed too.

"Don't you get fed? A girl like you has to eat." She asked Jenny as she picked up her dishes.

"Yes, it's just never this good." Jenny said as she smiled to Becca. Jenny turned her head when the door opened behind her. Chloe walked in.

"Hey." She greeted everyone.

"Hi Chloe. What can I do for you?" Becca asked Chloe. Jenny sat up in her chair and watched them. Chloe's eyes shot over to her for a split second and then back to Becca.

"I was wondering if I could help. I haven't been here in a long time." Chloe said. Becca took her head back in shock.

"Oh sweetie, you don't have to be here you know." Becca told Chloe. She shook her head.

"I know but I want to be." She insisted. She then walked over to the front desk in the hall and stood behind it. She started to look through the weekend bookings and made marks of them. Becca looked at Chloe from a distance in sorrow.

"I wish she would take it easy." Becca mumbled. Jenny turned back to sit in her chair properly.

"Sometimes after something tragic happens you just don't want to think about it. Keeping busy is the best way to do that." Jenny said as she thought to herself. Becca looked at Jenny.

"You alright?" She asked her. Jenny never lifted her head when she answered.

"Yeah..." She said quietly.

"Fine." She finished. Jenny then got up and walked quickly out of the pub and into the street.

/~~~/

Down at the shore, sitting on the beach, was Alec. He sat staring at the waves as they pounded against the sand. Each and every time he found himself thinking of a ticking sound.

Jenny made her way down the shore, kicking sand up in her trail. The sand on her bare feet was soothing and she found herself staring down at her prints as she walked.

The only reason she had left was because she found herself thinking too much about John, how much she missed him was practically to the moon and back. She would've done anything to be with him right now, just the two of them walking down the shore line together. Instead, she was walking alone, just her and her thoughts.

After awhile she got tired of looking at her foot prints and she lifted her head to look down further. She noticed a figure lying on the beach up ahead. She squinted her eyes to try to make out the body. She gave up on this and continued towards it. The closer she came she became frightened. 'Who could the body be?' She wondered. Soon she came to a distance from where she could safely distinguish the body. She stopped in her path, too scared to say anything.

It was Alec, splayed out on the sand. He wasn't disturbing anything around him and that frightened Jenny more.

She fell to her knees and crawled over to him. He was completely knocked out but was still breathing. She reached into his jacket pocket with shaky hands to take his phone. There had to be a contact she could use, someone, well anyone that could help.

She pulled out the phone and turned it on. Her hands still shook as she scrolled down his contacts. There was a lot Jenny noticed and weirdly, none other than Ellie that she recognised from Broadchurch. She kept going and saw a name of a detective. Jenny clicked on it and noticed that it was the one from up at the station, Alec's boss. She decided it was the best one to go with. She clicked the call button and put the phone to her ear as it rang.

"Hello?" A voice came from the other line. Jenny wiped a strand of hair from her face as she prepared herself to speak.

"Hello, its Jenny. I'm on the beach, I've found DI Hardy on the beach, and he's knocked out. Can you call someone, quickly?" Jenny told her as she stared around the beach trying to see if there was anyone that was closer. There wasn't a person in sight.

"DI Hardy?" The voice asked.

"Yes! DI Hardy! Get down here now! Please! You have to help him!" Jenny yelled in to the phone. The panic was rising inside her now.

"Ok, I'll send someone down now." The voice answered.

"Quickly!" Jenny yelled again as a tear rolled down her face. "Quickly..." She trailed off. The person on the other line had hung up. Jenny pulled her hand away from her ear and turned off the phone. She then looked down at Alec and reached back into his jacket pocket. She placed his phone back.

/~~~/

Minute by minute, time flew by. Jenny continued to kneel by Alec as she waited for help to come. The wind had picked up and the tide was coming in now.

"Hurry..." Jenny mumbled repeatedly to herself. Soon she heard sirens and she turned quickly around to see paramedics rushing down the beach. Jenny looked down at Alec and then stood up making way for the medics to do their work. She stood there in silence as she watched.

They checked him from head to toe and then they brought out a stretcher. Jenny watched as they lifted him up and onto it. They then started to move up the beach to the ambulance. Jenny took another look at the waves and silently thanked them for not taking him from her. Then she turned and ran up to walk alongside the stretcher.

Her plans with subsided when a police officer came and stood in her way.

"What are you doing?" He asked her. Jenny looked up and the man astonished.

"What do you mean? I'm going with him." Jenny replied with a hint of attitude as she spoke. The officer looked down at her and shook his head.

"Sorry but you can't." He told her. Jenny couldn't believe what she was hearing. After calling for help for Alec she wasn't allowed to be with him.

Jenny looked up at the officer one more time before doing a brave thing. She charged around the officer and ran at the stretcher. The officer wasn't expecting it but he hurried after her.

The stretcher was quite a distance away and Jenny's strides seemed smaller. The sand was holding her back. Soon the officer caught up with her and grabbed her around the waist. He pulled her down and Jenny started to scream. It was the loudest cry she could muster. She tried to get loose of the officers grasp but she couldn't. Finally she fell to the ground and tears ran down her face. She watched in envy as the medics put Alec in the ambulance. The one thing she wanted was to be there with him.


	12. Chapter 12

Hours later, in the silence of a small white hospital hallway Jenny sat in a chair staring at her hands. They were covered in sand and tears. Her leg was shaking slightly and her head was spinning. Thoughts rushed to her head as fast as lightning as each and every person walked by as if everything was normal. Jenny knew that they weren't though.

She had found Alec on the beach, unconscious but alive. She had called his boss using his phone and had stayed with him until help had arrived. When she had tried to come with him to the hospital she was held back by an officer. She could remember herself kicking and screaming as if her whole life depended on it. She was taken to the police station after that and questioned about Alec's whereabouts that morning. Jenny had told them that she thought he was at work. That was what Becca had told Jenny that morning anyway.

After that the same officer that stopped her on the beach drove her in to see Alec. The thing was they wouldn't let anyone see him. Now she was stuck sitting in the hall as time ticked on.

"He's just waking up now doctor." Jenny heard a voice off to her right. She slowly raised her head to listen better.

"He should be fine now, he's just groggy." The nurse told the doctor. Jenny noticed the nurse then point in her direction.

"And also, that girl over there. She wanted to see him, could she go in." The nurse asked the doctor. The nurse then smiled to Jenny whose head then shot down as if she hadn't been listening. The doctor turned around to look at Jenny. He noticed the dried tears still on her face and felt symphony. He then turned back to the nurse and nodded. The nurse smiled and walked over to Jenny.

Jenny fiddled with her fingers as she waited for the nurse to say she was allowed to see him. The nurse leaned over and whispered in Jenny's ear.

"Come on in sweetie." Jenny smiled and looked at the nurse. She was smiling back at her. Jenny stood up and wiped the dried tears from her face. She also brushed her hair behind her ears hopping that Alec wouldn't think she was a total mess. She turned and walked down the hall to Alec's room.

The nurse opened the door and walked in ahead of Jenny. Jenny then walked behind the nurse into a solid white room. There was one window right near a bed with white sheets. Next to the bed was a bunch of wires and a night stand that had three needles laid on a tray ready to be used.

Excitement and fear was now rushing through Jenny's veins. After one more run through of the room her eyes rest on Alec whose eyes were half shut and he looked exhausted.

"Alec..." Jenny said quietly as she rushed over to him. He opened his eyes for a split second just to see who it was.

"Oh, hi Jenny." He managed to say as his eyes sort of fluttered as he tried to wake up fully. Jenny reached her hand to take his as she stood above him.

"You alright?" She asked him. She then felt his hand squeeze hers tightly.

"Yeah." He mumbled. He suddenly coughed and his grip on her hand loosened. His eyes then opened all the way.

"I'm sorry, so sorry." He said to her softly. Jenny looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked him. Suddenly Alec's hand started to shake. Jenny looked down at his hand and then back at him.

"Alec?" She questioned him now. A sort of panic came to her head as she thought of what could be happening to him.

"Finish the case, ok," He told her very firmly as his hand continued to shake. Jenny's eyes widened in fear.

"What do you mean 'finish the case'? You have to finish it, it's yours to finish, not mine." Jenny told him.

"Please Jenny; I'm not going to let the Latimer's down, not now." Alec told Jenny. She then noticed that his eyes were starting to flutter again.

"No... You can't." Jenny's voice began to quaver slightly and she felt tears coming to her eyes.

"And if you ever get a chance, tell my daughter that I'm sorry." Alec said to Jenny. Tears flowed freely down Jenny's face now and she found that she was the one that had been shaking this whole time.

"I'm sorry Alec... I didn't mean for any of this to happen but you have to get up, you have to come home and-and get better. Please..." Jenny said quickly, it was the only way she could get it all out now. She felt his grip soften a lot.

"I'm sorry."

That was Alec's last word. Jenny watched as his eyes closed for the final time. She looked at him with confusion and shock, too scared for words. His hand had let go of hers and was hanging by his side.

A nurse entered the room and dropped her glass of water that had been intended for Alec.

"Oh my god. What happened?" The nurse asked quickly as she ran over to his bedside and started fiddling with wires and computers. She didn't even wait for a response from Jenny. Jenny just stood up and sat in the chair next to Alec's body, tears running down her face. She watched as the nurse ran out of the room and got a doctor who came in and checked everything in the room.

/~~~/

Throughout the whole day Jenny sat in the same seat next to his body crying. People came in and out of the room, mostly Doctors and nurses. They just kept running tests.

That evening, when Jenny thought that there weren't any more tears to cry, someone walked into the room.

"You alright?" Jenny turned and noticed DS Miller kneeling beside her, tears stained her face too. Jenny shook her head.

"I stood there and watched him die, I could've done something, I could've gotten someone to help, and it's my fault... it's my fault..." Jenny said as the tears came back. Ellie reached up and gave her a hug. Jenny cried into her shoulder quietly as Ellie patted her on the back.

"It's not, you couldn't do anything and you know what, you got him here and they did all they could to help him." Ellie told her as tears started to run down her face too.

"Come on, I'll buy you chips ok?" Ellie told Jenny as she released herself from their hug. She gave Jenny a small smile of encouragement and Jenny looked at her and then nodded.

"Just give me a moment, ok?" Jenny asked Ellie as they both stood up. Ellie nodded and walked back out the door and talked to a nurse.

Jenny walked over to Alec's body and reached down and picked up his hand. She squeezed it tightly and patted it with her other hand. She bit her lip to hold back the tears that were still trying to come up.

"Thank you so, so much, for everything. I'm so sorry this had to happen to you..." She mumbled to herself. She knew that Alec couldn't hear her but she could've sworn that she felt his hand grip hers for just a split second.

/~~~/

Two weeks had passed since Alec's death and surprisingly Jenny was still in Broadchurch. She had had thoughts of leaving as soon as she could but then she thought of what Alec had told her. He would want her to help out with the case, just until it was solved and that was what she intended to do.

/~~~/

She and the community of Broadchurch walked up the path to the church on a sunny Sunday morning in November. It was time to burry Alec and Jenny stood tall as she faced all the other people around her who knew him. She got weird looks from everyone and she just nodded them off. She was the only person who had witnessed his death and people questioned her about it all the time now. She always tried to answer truthfully.

She entered the church and sat down at the front next to Ellie, Joe and Tom. They all had sad looks on their faces as they watched everyone else enter the church too.

Jenny looked to her side and met eyes with Joe. He looked scared and Jenny gave him a questioning look. His head them shot back in a panic. Jenny then slowly turned her head back to the front where Paul Cotes was making his descent.

/~~~/

After the ceremony everyone gathered at the pub down at the Traders. Jenny stood off to the side and watched as everyone chatted to one another. She looked down at one of the tables and remembered her and Alec sitting there together as he questioned her about Danny. The thought of him made her sad again but she continued to bit her lip that was now torn to pieces from her doing this for the last two weeks.

"You watched him die didn't you?" A voice came from beside Jenny. She turned to look at who it was but she couldn't recognise her. Jenny hesitantly nodded.

"I'm sorry..." The girl told her. Jenny looked at her feet.

"That's what they all say." Jenny said bitterly.

"Was he nice? Did he treat you well?" The girl asked her choosing to ignore her last comment. Jenny looked at the girl again.

"Yeah... he was great to me. Sometimes a bit suspicious of me and he lost his trust in me once or twice but he cared for me, yeah... why?" Jenny answered the girl quietly. The girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I just didn't know him that well..." She replied. Jenny looked at the girl and came to a realisation.

"He says that he's sorry." Jenny blurted out to the girl. The girl turned and looked at Jenny with tear stained eyes.

"I know." She replied as she gave Jenny a small smile. She then turned around and faded into the crowd. Jenny looked down at her feet and smiled to herself. Alec would be proud of her now, very, very proud.

The End

/~~~/

Jenny joined the Broadchurch police as an intern a week after Alec's wake. She was the one that found the e-mail on Alec's computer and she followed a signal from Danny's other phone that led her to the murderer, Joe Miller. She then moved in with DS Ellie Miller after the DS's husband was found guilty of the murder. Soon later Ellie adopted Jenny into her family.

Jenny went on to become the DI for Broadchurch Police when she was only twenty-one.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading my story and I will have another story coming for you guys to read very soon! Please leave reviews and/or comments on my story and always make them constructive! They help me a lot and they make me feel appreciated! Thanks again!


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